As the global pandemic of COVID-19 quickly spreads, it is impacting everyone around the globe. The government of Mauritius has followed the global trend and decided to proceed with the lock down of the country. As the situation continues to develop at an increased pace, we wanted to reach out and update you on how we’re supporting our employees and you — our customers and partners - in these difficult times.

Events of the week indicate that investors can be confident in a longer-term recovery but should position portfolios and expectations to weather periods of volatility along.

• Global stocks finished higher on optimism over the reopening of the economies and some positive news about progress on vaccine trials;
• Markets were cautious of rising geopolitical tensions as China moved to impose a new security law on Hong Kong and as the U.S. Senate passed a bill that could force Chinese firms to delist from U.S. exchanges;
• European shares fell Friday as deterioration of U.S.-China ties compounded fears of slower economic recovery from the COVID-19, which led to shares exposed to Asia tumbling;
• French carmaker Renault is in serious financial difficulty and may not survive without help from the French government;
• Chinese officials declined to provide an annual GDP target for the first time even as they unveiled $500 billion stimulus to the economy;
• Gold rallied toward its highest close in 7 years as oil prices slumped, snapping a six-day winning streak.